The earliest years of education for children matters. And while it has taken as long as until 2021 for America to highlight a promising early learning policy, there is renewed hope once more, that the foundational significance of early learning education will finally have its spotlight.

While President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better plan will contribute to restoring a healthy mind frame around why early learning initiatives matter institutionally, it’s leaders like Neal Shenoy, Founder, and CEO of BEGiN, the parent company of HOMER, who have been championing space and innovation for early learning education in the home.

“Early learning to some degree is the preventative medicine to education because you’re starting early, setting a strong foundation, and that’s going to create far better outcomes and far better trajectories for young children,” he shares.

So why is the most innovation in education really only happening in post-secondary and K-12 sectors?

“That makes sense,” Shenoy shares, “because you’re talking about older learners and a very established need. From test prep and college admissions to high school grades, professional lead skilling, and accreditation, you’ve seen in the past few years, a tremendous capital flow into those segments of education. But what you haven’t seen is that same level of innovation and scale brought to early learning,” he details.

Yet there’s hope. “We’re now starting to see a shift towards focusing on early learning. I think part of what’s catalyzing that shift is the pandemic,” says Shenoy.

“Parents of early learners appreciate the critical role they have to play as a family or parent in complementing the school. Schools can do a certain job but we as parents and families have to support and scaffold that child and in many instances, parents are a child’s first teacher. What’s really been underscored is the role of the home in learning relative to the role of the classroom or school.”

“It’s more important than ever that families have a multitude of enrichment options to help their kids develop critical skills while opening their minds, inspiring their curiosity, and igniting their imagination,” said Amy Norman, Founder and CEO of Little Passports.

“BEGiN is innovating on solutions that empower kids to develop both foundational skills and an array of interests that are so critical to becoming well-rounded individuals.”

Read the full article about early learning by Ashley Ranan at Getting Smart.